Russia has sent a diplomatic protest note to Armenia over the vandalism of a memorial in Gyumri dedicated to heroes of the Great Patriotic War, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.

“This sacrilegious act is not merely hooliganism. It is a deliberate attack on the shared historical memory of our countries and an attempt to desecrate the Great Victory. Of course, we have sent a protest note to the Armenian side,” the diplomat said, according to TASS.

According to Zakharova, servicemen from the 102nd Russian Military Base immediately began efforts to repair the damage.

“We have seen statements from the competent Armenian authorities regarding the detention of the suspect, which is excellent. We hope justice will prevail and that the unlawful actions will receive an appropriate legal assessment,” she said.

Zakharova added that it was “surprising” that Armenia’s official authorities, instead of strongly condemning the desecration of the monument or at least expressing a clear position on the matter, “preferred to remain silent.”

She further argued that what she described as an “unrestrained anti-Russian campaign” accompanying the parliamentary elections had created conditions for such acts of vandalism.

A criminal case was launched on June 11 after gold-colored letters were torn from the Hero Cities monuments at the Mother Armenia Memorial Complex memorial complex on Kars Highway in Gyumri.

On June 14, authorities reported receiving credible information indicating that a 41-year-old resident of the Mush-2 district of Gyumri had removed the letters from the monuments on June 9.

The man was located, detained and taken to the Shirak Regional Department of the Criminal Police, where he reportedly confessed to the act.